This invention refers to a surgical instrument, a speculum, for examining body orifices or cavities and more particularly to a vaginal speculum of simple construction providing a wide range of adjustability and ease of operation and manipulation. The speculum can be inexpensively made in one piece molded from plastic and economically permits disposal of the speculum after use.
The primary improvement over specula known in the art is in providing handle portions located outside the visual field through the speculum and adjacent to a releasable latching means. In this invention the speculum is self-holding in various opening positions and the opening of the blades of the speculum as well as the release of the latching action is performed by the hand grasping the handle portions.